His Dark Secrets
by DZ2
Summary: Example Response to my 'A Sirius Secret' Challenge see inside for details;
1. A Secret Revealed

His Dark Secrets: A Harry Potter Fanfiction

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Harry Potter or any of its associated characters; all copyright belongs to JK Rowling; I do own any OC spells explained at the end of a chapter.

**Plot: **Response – sort of – to my 'A Sirius Secret' Challenge: What if there was a reason for Sirius' apparent hatred of a certain raven-haired teacher? In the aftermath of the encounter in the Shack, all is revealed and Harry has some tough choices to make concerning his future. Luckily, he still has friends he can count on…but can he count on family?

**Author's Note: **I would like to think of this story as an experimental story as I would like to see if my style of writing works on a challenge I designed; I DO have another response in mind, but I want to see what sort of response this one gets first. The reason that it's 'sort of' a response to my challenge is because one of my rules is changed, but the challenge is still the same.

**Challenge Information: **Before they died, Lily (or James) told Sirius a secret that, when Harry was old enough, could be told to their son; that time has come!

**Rules:**

Whatever the secret, Harry MUST remain with Sirius and Remus

The secret must force Harry to look back on his life and make changes to his future

Any pairings are welcome

Snape either works with Harry to repay the life-debt or he helps Harry out as a permanent mentor/friend – _this is the rule that is changed in this story; it'll be obvious why_

Harry must be at least 14 years old when he is told the secret (though I will allow Sirius to tell Harry when they meet in POA)

**Welcome Additions:**

Crossovers with another fandom

The secret MUST change Harry's life e.g.: Lily and James aren't his parents; he's not human; something like that

Harry leaves Hogwarts

Another member of the HP universe is affected by the secret e.g.: Harry and someone he considers a friend are, in fact, siblings;

**Forbidden:**

Harry remaining the naive, ready-to-die boy that he is

Dark-Harry: Light or Grey ONLY

Sirius and Remus leaving Harry

**Other than that; it's up to you!**

**Dedication: **I would like to dedicate this story to all my friends on Fanfiction that stick with me and my stories through thick and thin; my recommended reads are two stories: _Broken Mind, Fractured Soul_ by SensiblyTainted and _Nobody Cared_ by etherian; both are amazing examples of stories featuring this particular topic.

Eventual Harry/Hermione

Eventual Neville/Luna

Other Pairings TBC…

Normal Speech

'Thought'

'_Parseltongue_'

Chapter 1: A Secret Revealed

After the heat and tensions within the Shrieking Shack, Harry felt relieved to be back out in the crisp night air, Sirius walking calmly by his side, Ron and Hermione supported by Remus and a whimpering Peter Pettigrew who was trying to use any tricks or excuses to avoid meeting the Dementors. As well as the live members, Hermione was helping Remus carry an unconscious Professor Snape out of the tunnel, Sirius not bothering to look back. Instead, he walked forwards and, a few seconds later, Harry joined him in the shadow of Hogwarts' illuminated gloom, the young Gryffindor standing by his godfather as he looked to the school.

"So beautiful," Sirius whispered, his voice laced with awe as he spoke, "I never thought I'd get to see it again…as a free man."

"You will," Harry told him, his own voice filled with hope as he said the words, "And then you'll be able to see me as much as you want, won't you, Sirius? You'll be able to honour the friendship that you had with Mum and Dad."

Sirius seemed almost saddened by this news and the motion or the deep sigh that escaped him weren't unnoticed by Harry; glancing to his godfather, Harry asked, "What's wrong?"

Sirius glanced once to Hogwarts before he looked over his shoulder where Remus was watching them and keeping a close eye on Ron and Hermione and the unconscious Snape at the same time. As Sirius' eyes fell on the Potions Master, he looked once back to Remus and was almost disappointed to see a nod from his old friend, as well as his lips forming the words, "It's time."

Turning back, Sirius lowered his head as he explained, "Harry, just how much do you remember of your life with your Mum and Dad?"

"Just voices and dreams sometimes," Harry admitted, his own voice calm as he spoke, his eyes dry as stone as he let the memories come to him, "Then I hear them when the Dementors are near as well. But I know that, no matter how much I want to hear their voices, it won't bring them back; why?"

"Well," Sirius answered, swallowing down a wave of nausea and fear as he considered how he was going to say it; Harry had _some_ memories, but the true ones…no, he didn't have those. Heaving a deep breath, Sirius explained, "Has anyone ever told you the real reason for…for Severus' hatred of me and the Marauders?"

"No," Harry answered, glancing over his shoulder to where Remus seemed to be watching the conversation between him and Sirius carefully, "I only know that my Father saved Snape's life and, for some reason, he has it in for me because I'm Dad's son."

"Yes you are," Sirius sighed, glancing once to his most hated member of Hogwarts before he added, "But you're _not_ James' son."

A heavy silence seemed to fill the space where Sirius and Harry were standing, the green eyes of the Boy-Who-Lived wide with shock as he looked to Sirius, his mouth trying to form the right words, but, in the end, he could only gasp out, "What…what did you say?"

"You're not James' son," Sirius answered, his voice calm and controlled, both signs that he was being truthful with his words, "You _are_ Lily's, but not James' and, as much as I wanted to, I couldn't turn my back on you for that."

"Why…would…" Harry began, but trailed off as he started to piece things together; Sirius said that he couldn't turn his back on Harry, which meant he couldn't hate him or spite him. Not like a certain person that Harry knew Sirius loathed, but, if that was true, then was Sirius saying what Harry thought he was saying?

He didn't want to ask the question, but he did, "Who is my Father?"

"Severus Snape," answered Sirius, just as Hermione's voice cut through their silence, her own eyes wide with terror as she pointed into the distance, all eyes following her trembling finger…towards the sight of a full moon poking through the clouds!

_**HisDarkSecrets**_

"How did you get there? When you were just there…and now you're there?"

"What is he talking about, Harry?"

"Honestly, Ron: how can someone be in two places at once?"

Harry and Hermione both laughed as they moved back to the beds where they'd been lying; Sirius was freed, Pettigrew had still escaped, but, though he'd shown resilience and determination to change that, Harry still had one big revelation on his mind. Sirius' last words to him by the lakeside: Severus Snape, the man that hated and despised Harry with a vengeance, was in fact his Father!

Did the Potions Master know?

Did anyone?

With Sirius on the run, Harry didn't know whether or not he'd be able to speak or converse with his godfather about further information and, with Snape's plans ruined for an Order of Merlin, it was highly unlikely that Harry could just waltz up to his office and say, "Hi Professor, can you tell me how it's possible that you're my Father and not James Potter?"

Snape would send Harry far away from him if that happened…and it was bad enough that the Dursleys hated him, but to know that the man who could be his actual Father resented his very existence…no, Harry wouldn't be able to live through that.

As he climbed back into bed, Harry marvelled at the fact that not only had he somehow managed to summon a Corporeal Patronus, but also that he had somehow created a paradox – according to Hermione – and saved his own life from the Dementors. Yet, as Harry thought about it, there was something he couldn't quite shake: he'd believed that he'd seen his Father on the other side of the lake and, though Hermione had said that Harry's Father – whom she still believed to be James Potter – was dead.

Yet, the more Harry thought about it, the more sense it could have made: it was clear that the teachers had known about the Time Turner given to Hermione from how they'd never said a word about her _sudden_ appearances in class and how she'd apparently been able to keep up with the workload. Plus, Harry hadn't seen what had happened to Snape after he'd chased after Sirius and the past/future Hermione had howled and sent Remus away from the present Harry…or had she?

'Snape taught the lesson on werewolves,' Harry thought, choosing to think of the man by the title that Harry knew him as, 'He heard Hermione say that the werewolf would only answer to the call of its own kind. Then there's what I saw on the lake and believing it to be…my Dad, which I can't really believe myself. I can't accept it until I hear it from the man himself, but…all the same, could Snape have saved me? Does he know like Sirius seems to know?'

"Harry?" Glancing to the bed next to him, Harry managed a soft smile as Hermione was sat by his side, watching him rest as she told him, "I'm sure that Padfoot will be fine: as for Wormtail, you shouldn't be so quick to want revenge like that. We'll catch him, I promise."

"Thanks, Hermione," Harry sighed, taking Hermione's hand as he explained, "I'm glad that you trusted me with your secret; but I don't think that you should use it next year."

"Oh," Hermione laughed, her voice filled with amusement, "Don't worry, I'll be giving it back to Professor McGonagall before the term is out; now that I've dropped Trelawney and I'm also dropping Muggle Studies, I have more than enough time to focus on my remaining classes."

"Yeah," Harry agreed, letting his head rest on his pillow before he asked, "Hermione, do you think I should do it too? Drop Trelawney's class, I mean?"

"Given how she plots your death on a daily basis, I'd say so," Hermione joked, earning another smile from Harry as she explained, "But you'd need to choose a replacement elective; now, personally, I'd recommend Ancient Runes: the prospect of finding out about new magic and discovering ways to cast your own spells…it's just…just…astonishing."

"Thanks," Harry sighed, "I'll think about that."

'After I get some answers from a certain Potions Master,' he added in thought, his eyes watching the door for the inevitable arrival of said mentor after discovering Sirius' absence.

Harry's thoughts and hopes weren't to be left disappointed as the door opened and Snape walked in flanked by Dumbledore and Minister Fudge, the eyes of the Potions Master fixed on Harry before he asked, "Potter, what have you done?"

"Absolutely nothing," Harry answered, averting his gaze so that he faced the headmaster and the Minister, "If you ask Madam Pomfrey and Headmaster Dumbledore, you'll find that I've been here since he last came in here."

"Don't lie, you insolent brat," Snape growled, Harry then having even more doubts that this man could be his Father; even if it was true, Harry wouldn't simply accept him. "I know you have something to do with Black's escape: you're always involved in these matters."

"I know, I know," Harry sighed, rubbing his forehead as he looked to Snape, who suddenly looked like he'd seen a ghost; furthermore, the tension in Harry's mind had now gone, but his head still ached slightly as he added, "I get it from my _Father_; don't you ever get tired of being a broken record about my _Father_, Professor Snape?"

There;

Harry saw it;

A twitch and a visible wince from Snape that only went noticed by Harry while Dumbledore was busy trying to assure the Minister of the students' safety and convince him to remove the Dementors from Hogwarts; the same kind of twitch that came from someone speaking about Voldemort.

There was no mistaking it:

Snape knew…

_**HisDarkSecrets**_

As soon as the coast was clear, Harry made his way to Remus' office where he found the Defence Professor packing away his belongings, his head lowered over a certain piece of enchanted parchment. Closing the door behind him, Harry approached Remus, his expression unchanged as he heard the man address him, "Hello Harry: I saw you coming."

"I know you did, Moony," Harry answered, his voice calm as he looked around before he asked, "You've been fired?"

"Actually I resigned," Remus answered, his own voice equally as calm as the young Gryffindor's, "Somehow it was leaked that I was a werewolf and there's no doubt that owls are approaching Hogwarts with panicking parents insisting that someone like me shouldn't be teaching their children."

"I'm sorry," Harry whispered, but Remus chose that moment to straighten up and, moving to Harry, he smiled before he hugged him, the embrace making Harry feel lighter than he usually felt. Perhaps it was because Remus had become a sort of honorary family member as of late or it was because Harry had witnessed the pain that the man went through during his…time of the month.

"You have nothing to be sorry for, little cub," Remus told Harry, looking into Harry's green eyes as he explained, "It's not goodbye; it's just…until next time. Now, while I'm no mind reader, I need to ask you: why don't you ask me what's really on your mind?"

Taking a deep breath, Harry asked, "You were aware of Sirius speaking to me…so…is…is it true?"

"Is what true?" asked Remus, leaning casually against his desk as he told Harry, "You may have to be more specific, Harry: just say it, you'll feel better afterwards."

With another deep breath, Harry asked, "Is Professor Snape…my Father?"

"Yes."

There was no hesitation with Remus' answer and his eyes never left Harry's face as he said the word and listened to the question. Hearing the response, Harry knew what his next question was, "Who…who else knows? Does he?"

"He does," Remus answered, lowering his eyes as he added, "I was the one to tell him before I met you last September: he didn't want to believe me, but I had a memory of Lily, your Mother, telling me and, try as he might, he couldn't call her a liar."

"So Mum is Mum," Harry remarked, his voice calm as he asked, "And obviously you and Sirius know: anyone else?"

"Not unless Severus has shared the secret with Albus or anyone else he trusts, then no," Remus answered, his voice filled with a hint of regret as he explained, "James knew and wanted to keep you from Severus; that combined with…other…complications was how he finally separated him and Lily from the world under the Fidelius. Aside from us and Severus and Lily, no-one else knew or knows: not Albus, unless, as I said, he's told him, not Wormtail, thank goodness and certainly not Voldemort. If you're thinking," he then added, his eyes on his cub, "Of confronting him about this, then do so now: before you finish school; oh, and for the record, it wasn't Severus that leaked the information about me. I don't know how my secret was revealed, but this _is_ Hogwarts: secrets weren't so easily kept when I was here."

Harry managed a laugh before he asked, "Where…where can I get a hold of you…if I need you?"

With a sigh, Remus shook his head before he explained, "Albus wouldn't want me to tell you; but I don't believe that giving you a piece of parchment," as he said this, he passed the Marauder's Map to Harry before he added, "Is exactly telling you; now, tap your wand on the parchment."

Harry did so, before he gasped as Remus then exclaimed, "Messer Moony wishes to share the secrets of the map with one whom holds a Marauder's spirit."

The map suddenly went blank and, for a second, Harry was confused until he saw new words spider-web across the page, revealing a message;

_The Marauder's Manor can be found at 1 Lakeside, Lake Windermere, Cumbria_

"Fidelius?" asked Harry.

"Lily's idea," Remus laughed, "The Secret Keeper isn't really one that can be breached unless by the heart of a Marauder: she charmed the map to reveal the address only when a Marauder allowed it. That, to us, made her a Marauder and she agreed: she even held a name: Demeter."

"Greek Goddess of the Harvest," Harry laughed; it sounded perfect for his Mother given what little he knew of her. Passing the map back to Remus, he added, "Guess you should keep this: I'm not James' son, so I don't deserve…"

"Yes you do, cub," Remus insisted, tapping the map once to clear it as he explained, "You're Lily's, alias Demeter's, son and therefore you're still the son of a Marauder. Keep it: it's your birth-right and, if at any time, you need to be in friendly company, night or day, you have the Knight Bus bring you to Windermere and we'll be waiting."

Harry returned the embrace that Remus had given him, his eyes actually damp with tears of loss: this was the first time that he would miss someone other than his friends at Hogwarts, "I'll miss you, Moony."

"And I will miss you, little cub," Remus replied, stroking Harry's black hair as he explained, "Now, I happen to know that a certain someone is alone down in his classroom and will be for the next few hours. Now's a good a time as any to get some answers."

"If…if you say so," Harry agreed, wiping a stray tear from his eye as he placed the map in his pocket and, with a last smile to Remus, he turned on his heel and left the room.

_**HisDarkSecrets**_

Standing outside the door to the Potions Classroom, Harry actually felt nervous; what was he supposed to say?

Given everything that Remus had told him, Harry started to have second doubts about what he was doing and yet, as he held his hand out to knock on the door, he also felt a sense of determination overwhelm his doubts. Remus had confirmed it and the werewolf wouldn't lie to him: this _was_ his Father and therefore, aside from a need to know more about the how and why of the man's treatment towards him, Harry knew that he couldn't be afraid to face his fears.

He knocked on the door, his eyes filled with determination as he heard a voice answer, "Enter."

Opening the door, Harry kept both his distance and his wand in his pocket, his hand wrapped around the hilt in case of a need to defend himself as he stepped into the classroom, the dark, brooding eyes of the Potions Master meeting his own and, once again, for a short second, Harry saw the same flinch from before cross Snape's face. When it passed, the man addressed him, "What do you want, Potter? I haven't got time for your games."

"I came to speak with you, Professor Snape," Harry replied, closing the door behind him as he added, "Or would you prefer that I address you by the title you apparently possess over me…Father?"

Severus was silent, his eyes on Harry; he didn't scream, he didn't yell and he didn't insist that Harry was talking a load of rubbish – that one, Harry noticed straight away. Instead, he put down his quill, lifted his wand, pointed it at his door and, as Harry heard the door lock behind him, he also heard Severus' voice address him, "Sirius told you the truth, I see?"

"It's true?" asked Harry, knowing that Remus wouldn't lie to him, but, as he'd believed before, he wouldn't confirm it until the words came out of Severus' mouth.

His wish was granted;

"Yes, Harry, it's true: I, Severus Snape, am your Father."

**And there it is: Chapter 1 of my experimental story and, for this one, I've gone back to basics on how I would have written canon; namely Harmony and involving Severitus; so I hope you all enjoy this one.**

**Anyway, what is the full story behind Severus being Harry's Father and can the duo put the past behind them?**

**Also, who else knows and, more than anything, how will this affect a certain fraud's so-called prophecy?**

**Keep Reading to Find Out…**

**Next Chapter: Father and Son talk about the past and discuss the future; Severus has a warning for Harry, but also makes a promise; plus, it's Harry's first and LAST day in Durzkaban and Sirius and Remus return…with some added help for Harry's summertime fun.**

**Please Read and Review**

**AN: For those who are wondering, the title of this story came from the title of Philip Pullman's infamous trilogy: His Dark Materials; catchy, huh?**


	2. Notice

I feel that it is important to post this here as I need to clear something up:

This story is NOT a story, but an experiment with the challenge that I posted; after seeing the response given, I have decided to give some fine-tuning to the challenge so that my actual response can be posted.

Anyone wishing to use this story or adopt the idea is welcome to do so, but the story is NOT going to be continued.

Keep watching for any signs of my ACTUAL response and enjoy the other stories on my profile…


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